Roxburgh Castle, Roxburghshire, Scotland, British Isles

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough. A few days later, the king proceeded to Roxburgh Castle, which had long been held by the Seneshal of Scotland. Upon the king's arrival, it was immediately surrendered, with the lives, limbs, lands, and possessions of the garrison spared. There, 15,000 Welshmen came to the king, and he immediately sent back to England an equal number of fatigued English troops. After securing the castle, he moved with his entire army to the Castle of the Maidens, which is called Edinburgh in English. He besieged it for eight days and attacked it vigorously using large wooden siege engines, which he had brought in abundance. The defenders surrendered, and their lives were spared. The king then marched to Stirling, and found the castle empty, with no one offering resistance, for the garrison had fled in fear at his approach. At Stirling, the Earl of Ulster came to the king with 400 horsemen and 30,000 Irish foot soldiers. The king then moved on to the town called St. John's Town [Perth], where on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist [24th June 1296], he created new knights and celebrated with great solemnity, remaining there for several days. Then messengers came to him on behalf of the King of Scots, requesting peace in his name, though he had recently spurned it. They pleaded that the king should not act according to what was deserved, but according to his merciful clemency, and grant peace. Our king, not weighing their offenses, but acting mercifully, graciously replied that within fifteen days, the King of Scotland himself, along with his nobles, should come to the Castle of Brechin, to discuss the terms of peace with his envoys. When the King of Scots arrived there, along with both John Comyns (of Badenoch and Buchan) and the other nobles of the realm, our king sent the Bishop of Durham, Antony Bek, with full counsel and full powers to negotiate the matter and bring it to a proper conclusion. After many negotiations and long discussions, no other form of peace could be agreed upon except that the King of Scotland resign his kingdom, and the Great Seal of Scotland be broken, and that he and all his nobles surrender unconditionally to the will of the King of England, with no conditions attached. And so they did. The King of Scots gave himself over to the will of the English king, and delivered his son Edward as a hostage, and renounced the Kingdom of Scotland by a written document in the following terms.

Post dies aliquot processit rex ad castrum de Rokesburgh, quod diu tenuerat senescallus Scotiæ, et statim illud reddidit in adventu regis, salvis vita et membris, terris et catallis; ibique venerunt ad regem XV millia Wallensium, et confestim in Angliam remisit quasi eundem numerum ex Anglicis fatigatis, stabilitoque castro, profectus est cum exercitu toto ad castrum Puellarum, quod Anglice dicitur Edensburgh, obseditque illud per VIII dies, et fortiter expugnavit ligneis machinis quas copiosas et maximas ibidem attulerat, dederuntque se castrenses et eisdem vita data est. Divertitque rex usque Strivelyn, et invenit castrum vacuum et neminem ei resistentem, fugerant enim custodes a facie ejus timore perterriti, ibique venit ad regem comes de Huluester cum quadringentis equestribus et triginta peditum millibus Hibernicorum; et profectus est rex usque villam sic dictam villa Sancti Johannis, ubi in nativitate beati Johannis Baptistæ fecit novos milites et solemnitatem magnam, mansitque ibidem diebus aliquot, et venerunt ad eum nuncii ex parte regis Scotorum postulantes pacem ex nomine ejus quam nuper exhorruerat, adjicientes ut non faceret ei secundum merita, sed secundum suam misericordiam benignam sibi pacem concederet. Rex vero noster, delicta non ponderans sed misericorditer agens, clementer respondit, quod infra XV dies veniret ipse rex Scotia cum optimatibus suis ad castrum de Brighyn, de ipsa pacis forma tractaturi cum suis nunciis quos missurus erat. Cumque venissent ibi rex, scilicet Scotia, et uterque Johannes Comyn, de Badenach scilicet et de Bughan, cæterique magnates ejusdem regni, misitque ibidem rex noster Antonium Dunolmensem episcopum cum consilio pleno et plena potestate tractandi negotium et debito fine claudendi, et per varios tractatus et multa colloquia non fuit alia pacis forma nisi ab ipso rege resignato regno, et fracto communi sigillo, ipseque rex et cæteri sui optimates voluntati regis Angliæ se darent et redderent, condiand resigns tione nulla apposita. Feceruntque sic, et dederunt se voluntati regis Angliæ, et tradidit ipse rex filium suum Edwardum in obsidem, et regno Scotia renunciavit per scriptum in hæc verba conceptum.

Note 1. Seneshal ska Steward. In Scotland the Stewards became the Stewart dynasty when King Robert II acceded to the throne, being the son of Walter Stewart and Majorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce.

Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet [1258-1328]. He also wrote to John Comyn of Badenoch and to the Earl of Buchan, that, mindful of their fealty, they should return into Scotland and quiet the rising disturbance of their people, who, returning into Scotland in accordance with the command received, carried out the matters of peace sluggishly. The Earl of Warenne, assembling an army in the province of York, sent forward into Scotland his nephew Henry de Percy with the forces of the county of Carlisle, who, advancing as far as the town of Ayr, was preparing to admit the men of Galloway to the king’s peace. But when he heard that the army of the Scots was near Irvine, which was about four miles distant, he went thither and saw beyond a certain lake the army of the Scots encamped, in which the leaders were the Bishop of Glasgow, Andrew of Moray, Steward of Scotland, and William Wallace. A certain valiant knight, named Richard de Lundie, who had never done homage to the King of England, leaving the Scots and becoming a deserter, at once joined himself to the English. The rest, seeking peace, surrendered themselves, their lives and limbs, goods and lands being preserved, so that all things up to that day were simply forgiven. This peace, hostages having been promised and a written agreement drawn up, Henry accepted, provided that it should please the king, who, being consulted on this matter, lest his journey should be hindered, assented to the terms requested. But when the Earl of Warenne had now arrived, and the Scots, by evasion, from day to day delayed to deliver the hostages, and William Wallace in the meantime gathered the people together, the English, thinking themselves betrayed, prepared to attack the Scots, and the Bishop of Glasgow and William Douglas, lest they should incur the charge of treachery, at once surrendered themselves in their own defence, of whom the bishop was committed to custody in the castle of Roxburgh, and William in the castle of Berwick.

Scripsit etiam Joanni Comin de Badenau et comiti de Bowau, ut memores fidelitatis suæ,reverterentur in Scotiam, et populi sui suscitatum jam tumultum sedarent; qui juxta mandatum acceptum in Scotiam revertentes, quæ pacis erant segniter exsequuntur. Comes de Warenna, in provincia Eboraci coadunans exercitum, nepotem suum Henricum de Percy cum militia comitatus Carleoli præmisit in Scotiam; qui usque ad villam de Are profectus, Galwidienses ad pacem regis admittere disponebat. Audito autem quod Scotorum exercitus erat juxta Irwine, quod inde ad quatuor milliaria distabat, illuc profectus vidit ultra quemdam lacum Scotorum exercitum considentem; in quo capitanei erant episcopus Glascuensis, Andreas de Moravia senescallus Scotiæ, et Willelmus Walensis. Miles autem quidam strenuus, nomine Ricardus de Lundi, qui regi Angliæ nunquam homagium fecerat, relictis Scotis factus transfuga, se statim Anglicis sociavit. Reliqui, pacem petentes, dediderunt se, salvis eis vita et membris, catallis et terris, ita ut omnia usque in hunc diem essent simpliciter condonata. Quam pacem, promissis obsidibus, et scripto confecto, admisit Henricus, si tamen hoc regi placeret; qui super hoc consultus, ne a cœpto impediretur itinere, annuit postulata. Adveniente jam comite Warrennæ, cum Scoti tergiversando de die in diem differrent obsides reddere, et Willelmus Waleys interim populum adunaret, arbitrantes se Anglici proditos, dum Scotos invadere disponunt, episcopus Glascuensis et Willeimus Duglas, ne proditionis notam incurrerent, se in sui excusationem protinus dediderunt; de quibus episcopus in castro de Rokesburgia, Willelmus vero in castro Berewici, custodiæ mancipantur.

Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet [1258-1328]. After this, a rising was stirred up at Ghent by the sons of the Count of Flanders and the townsmen against the English, whose town would have been burned by the Welsh, had not the king, the count running to him, checked the attack. The Earl of Warenne, guardian of Scotland, and the other earls, assembling at York according to the king’s command, on the octave of Saint Hilary [21st January 1298], after the confirmation of the charters and the articles added had been published, proceeded towards Scotland. The leading men of Scotland, not coming to York according to the royal summons, kept themselves within the bounds of their own land. William Wallace had for many days been besieging the castle of Roxburgh, but, on hearing of the arrival of the English in great force, he fled. The earls, coming to Roxburgh, having strengthened the castle and comforted those who had been besieged, advanced as far as Kelso, and thence returned as far as Berwick, which they found already deserted by the Scots. While they were staying there, the king sent word to them of the truces accepted and of his speedy return, commanding them that, before his arrival, except for the occupation of Berwick, they should attempt nothing whereby they might be exposed to danger. Accordingly, the greater part of the army having been dismissed, and those retained who might suffice for holding the town, they awaited the king’s arrival. About the beginning of Lent, Robert de Clifford, with those who were in garrison at Carlisle, entered Scotland, burned the town of Annandale, and returned with much plunder. Then, when the King of England, about to return to his own realm, had come to the town called Ardres, almost all the Scots whom he had taken with him into Flanders on the expedition withdrew from him and went to Paris.

Suscitata est post hæc apud Gandavum seditio per filios comitis Flandriæ et villanos contra Anglicos; quorum villa per Wallenses incensa fuisset, nisi rex accurrente ad eum comite impetum impedisset. Comes Warennæ custos Scotiæ ac comites alii, juxta mandatum regium Eboracum convenientes, in octavis S. Hilarii, publicata confirmatione chartarum articulorumque adjectorum, versus Scotiam processerunt. Majores Scotorum Eboracum non venientes secundum vocationem regiam, se infra terræ suæ terminos tenuerunt. Willelmus Waleis castrum de Rokesburgia jam diebus multis obsederat, sed audito adventu Anglicoruam in multitudine magna diffugit. Comites venientes Rokesburgiam, munito castro ac consolatis obsessis, digressi sunt usque Kelston; et inde reversi sunt usque Berewicum, quam jam Scotis vacuam invenerunt. Dumque ibi morarentur, mandavit eis rex de treugis acceptis et reditu suo celeri, jubens ne ante adventum suum, excepta occupatione Berewici, aliquid quo paterent discrimini attentarent. Remissa igitur majori parte exercitus, et retentis qui ad detentionem villæ possent sufficere, adventum regium exspectabant. Circa principium Quadragesimæ Robertus de Clifford, cum his qui erant in præsidio Carleoli, Scotiam ingressus, villa Anandiæ combusta, rediit cum præda multa. Deinde cum rex Angliæ, reversurus ad propria, venisset ad villam quæ Ardeburgia dicitur, Scoti fere omnes, quos secum Flandriam duxerat in expeditionem, ab ipso rege discedentes, Parisios abierunt.

Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet [1258-1328]. Meanwhile the King of England, intending to repress the rebellions of the Scots and to bring them into due subjection, held a parliament at York, and, the leading men of Scotland having been summoned, when they did not come, he ordered his own men that they should be ready with horses and arms at Roxburgh on the feast of Saint John the Baptist [24th June 1298]. The king meanwhile, having visited Saint John of Beverley, returning to Roxburgh, found the army assembled at the appointed time. The Earls of Hereford and Norfolk, because the confirmation of the charters had been made in a foreign land, requested that, for greater security, they should be confirmed again, and on behalf of the king the Bishop of Durham, and the earls John of Surrey, William of Warwick, and Ralph of Gloucester promised that, victory having been obtained, the king would confirm them after his return. The king then set out with his army to a certain town called Templehirst, and from there sent the Bishop of Durham to take the castle of Orittone with two other castles, whose keepers, besides other evils, had attacked the borders of the castles. The bishop took the first of these, the garrison being allowed to depart freely, and the other two were taken by newly made knights and burned. While the king was staying at Templehirst with his army near a river, awaiting the arrival of ships which had been laden with provisions at Berwick, it happened that, they being hindered for a month by contrary winds, the army began to be afflicted by want and hunger. When this was known, the Scots gathered a very large army, hoping to overwhelm the English, now weakened by hunger, without delay.

Rex Angliæ interim Scotorum rebelliones reprimere disponens, et eos ad debitam coercere subjectionem, parliamentum tenuit Eboraci; vocatisque majoribus Scotorum, cum non venirent, suis indixit, ut cum equis et armis parati essent Rokesburgiæ, in festo S. Joannis Baptistæ. Rex interim, visitato sancto Joanne de Beverlaco, rediens Rokesburgiam, invenit ad terminum præfixum exercitum congregatum. Comites Herfordiæ et Marescalli, quia confirmatio chartarum fuerat facta in terra aliena, petiverunt ad majorem securitatem eas iterum confirmari; spoponderunt autem pro rege episcopus Dunelmensis, ac comites Joannes Surreiæ, Willelimus Warewici, Radulfus Gloverniæ, quod obtenta victoria rex eas post suum reditum confirmaret. Proficiscitur deinde rex cum exercitu ad villam quamdam, quæ dicitur Templehistone, remisitque inde episcopum Dunelmensem ad capiendum castrum de Oryntono cum duobus aliis castris; quorum custodes, præter alia mala, invaserant extrema castrorum. Quorum primum cepit episcopus, custodibus liberis dimissis; reliqua duo capta sunt per novos milites, et incensa. Dum rex apud Templehistone moraretur cum exercitu juxta flumen, exspectando adventum navium quæ apud Berewicum oneratæ victualibus fuerant, contigit ut, ipsis adverso vento per mensem impeditis, exercitus affligi inciperet inedia atque fame. Quo cognito Scoti maximum coadunant exercitum, sperantes Anglicos jam fame deficientes opprimere sine mora.